Afridi: Time to move
Former Pakistan Test match captain http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Shahid-Afridi-c2482 says it is time for the team to move on and focus on the one-day and twenty20 matches against England.
A number of Pakistan players have been accused of match-fixing in the final Test against England at Lords but Afridi says this is not a fair reflection on the rest of the team.
The one-day and T20 captain has said that the side is fully focused on playing out the full limited overs series with England. He also says that there are a number of players in the team who want to use the occasion to show there is still honesty and life in Pakistani cricket.
Pakistan is under extreme pressure not to play any of the players accused of match-fixing during the one-day series with England, which would drastically weaken their team. However, it is encouraging to see someone standing up and asking for the side to respond.
A weakened team
It's very difficult to predict how Pakistan are going to react to the recent negative publicity that has fallen over the team. Afridi has said that he wants the side to respond and play good cricket but their chances will be reduced by not having some of their best players.
However, there will be a chance for some players to shine and rise from the ashes of the fire. There are good and honest players in the Pakistani team who will be intent on destroying England and proving that there is still something left to respect from the Pakistani side.
Pakistan's Test match and limited overs sides always chop and change so losing one or two more players than expected will not be difficult for the team to handle. The problem is that Mohammad Amir is not expected to play and he is clearly the best bowler in Pakistan at the moment.
Afridi said: "We had a very good practice session. What has happened is gone, we are here to play good cricket. Myself and the coach [Waqar Younis] are trying to keep morale high. It's always very difficult in these conditions against a good team but they are all really focused."
Credit for the skipper
Afridi is no stranger himself to being caught up in controversy in the middle of a tour. He was caught on camera biting the ball during the winter series against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746, which was a clear sign of ball tampering.
However, he echoes the comments that a lot of Pakistanis will be thinking at the moment. It seems he is fed up with the bad press and just wants to enjoy the cricket again. The Pakistani side is predominantly innocent and will want to react in the right way by beating England.
He added: "It has been really difficult but we can forget everything, get out, play the cricket and entertain the people. We've got a really good family atmosphere generally in the ground and I think that's going to be all-pervading. I suspect there might be a little bit of humour thrown in, with a few comments."
Betting advice
Missing Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif from the one-day team will weaken Pakistan to a point that could reflect on their results. A number of players and staff have said all of the right things since the match-fixing allegations were made.
Back England to win all one-day games against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 but expect one or two very good individual performances from the Pakistani side. England are the T20 champions with a settled side so it's hard to see where Afridi's men can win a game.
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